understandable

[ uhn-der-stan-duh-buhl ]

adjective

1. capable of being understood; understood; comprehensible.

Other Words From

• under·standa·bili·ty noun
• under·standa·bly adverb
• nonun·der·standa·ble adjective
• unun·der·standa·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of understandable¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English: originally, “capable of understanding”; understand + -able

Example Sentences

Part of that is an understandable effort to protect their own citizens.

From Popular-Science

Given that no amount of social protest is going to dent Rowling’s bank account, perhaps it’s understandable, then, to consider a pragmatic response to a new Harry Potter series.

From Vox

I have also noticed a big gap between “Add-to-Cart” and “Reached Check Out” rate to actual sales on our site, which is understandable and unavoidable in uncertain times like these.

From Fortune

Any rust that slowed the Georgetown men’s basketball team Saturday was completely understandable.

From Washington Post

With the addition of Cade Cunningham, the top recruit in the country according to 247Sports, it was an extremely understandable position to take now.

From Washington Post

The point of these exercises is to make centuries-old texts relatable; their characters understandable.

From The Daily Beast

And his understandable expressions of regret—now that his book is tanking—come as too little, too late.

From The Daily Beast

Certainly, this response would be understandable and even justified if de Blasio had in fact attacked the police.

From The Daily Beast

This is entirely understandable—after all, it is unsettling that a physician could make such an obvious mistake.

From The Daily Beast

Is this a mature expression of understandable judgment, or a bid to erase history while conflating fiction and reality?

From The Daily Beast

“It is quite understandable, dear,” Jessie said, with more composure than her chum could display at the moment.

From Project Gutenberg

These are understandable errors for any scribe, but not for the author of the work, to make.

From Project Gutenberg

When assembled in the form of intelligent reports, these statistics present an understandable history of the business.

From Project Gutenberg

While it had been intelligible, his enunciation was puzzling at times; occasionally hardly understandable.

From Project Gutenberg

Perhaps elsewhere and under more suitable circumstances I may be able to put my thought into words, precise and understandable.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• acceptable
• coherent
• comprehensible
• intelligible
• justifiable
• logical
• reasonable
• recognizable
• simple